Twists and Turns of Fate
by Shining Zephyr
Summary: My rendition of the final battle between Snake and Liquid in MGS: two brothers, a woman near death, and a final battle of the ages- this is what legends are made of.


**I was told to do more MGS fics and one-shots and such. I think I can do that. I really don't have a full-blown Metal Gear Solid-centric fic in my head right now, but I will say that I am slowly and steadily planning out a Danny Phantom/MGS crossover for my own enjoyment. But I digress- I have NO idea how many of these have been done, but this is my own rendition of a certain final battle between two brothers at the end of MGS-TTS. Enjoy.**

**Spoilers for MGS. Dedicated to **Solid Snake's Soldier **for their support! :)**

**Nope. Still don't own Metal Gear Solid.**

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Twists and Turns of Fate

He couldn't believe his ears and his eyes. Campbell had just been arrested by that bastard Houseman for treason? Snake turned off the Codec and sat there for a moment, feeling hatred and anger overcoming his very being. America had just gone from 'low' to 'pond scum' within a matter of seconds. The man didn't move for a few moments before he finally looked up at Liquid, who merely chuckled. "There's no way out for us," he told Snake, watching his reaction carefully and walking over to the man. His voice was full of quiet mirth and triumph. "Let's finish this before the air strike."

Both men wore nothing but their skintight pants and leather gloves. Snake felt as if he could have been placed in any timeframe and would have fit into any sort of battle arena. With his bandana whipping behind his head ever-so-slightly, Snake felt both vulnerable and invincible.

Liquid walked around behind Snake and with a swift jerk of his hand, he untied the ropes that bound together his brother's hands. "You stole _everything_ from me," he snarled softly as he walked around to the front of REX. Snake took this opportunity to begin rubbing circulation back into his hands, twisting his wrists as well. He twisted his head around to watch Liquid walk in front of him. "I shall nullify you _and_ your genes, and I will taken them all back."

Snake stood up slowly and cracked his knuckles. It sounded as if his brother was seriously about to try and kick his butt. After all he had went through that day- betrayal, death, new allies, and everything in between- Snake didn't think that his genetic equal could beat him real easily. He could feel the blood rushing through his fingers as he moved slightly towards Liquid.

The blonde jumped off of REX's head for a moment, landing on its back and next to the fallen redhead. "She'll make a beautiful sacrifice for our final battle," he told his brother. Smirking to himself, he turned around for a moment before pulling something out from in front of him. He turned around and faced Snake. "Do you see this?"

Snake clenched his fists. He saw it all right. It was a C4- just like the one he had seen attached to the poles before the ArmTech president had died. He wasn't thinking about blowing them _all_ into pieces, was he?

"This will be the time limit for our final battle," he continued, glancing down at Meryl. "When Death comes for this girl, this nuclear module will vanish from this world as well." His voice sounded taunting as he watched Snake began to pace ever so slightly, eyeing his foe. "If you win, you might still be able to save her," he continued, grinning. "You can enjoy one brief moment of love… before the end."

The antihero gritted his teeth, watching Liquid click the button and staring at Meryl. He had promised Campbell he'd get her out of there alive. But with that bomb there for added pressure… he merely stood there, taking in the added weight of saving not only his _own_ neck, but Meryl's. Liquid threw the bomb towards her body and leapt from the back of REX to the head once again. Snake followed his trail and watched him land just near the edge of the beast.

Liquid glanced down the endless abyss, his voice smug. "And if you cross this line, you'll fall," he stated. "At this height, it'll kill even you."

Snake knew that much. As he heard the rhythmic beep-beep-beep from the nuclear module begin to pierce the silence between the two brothers, he faced Liquid and felt no fear come over his body. Liquid pushed his blonde hair out of his face, feeling his confidence begin to overcome him. He knew he was going to win. He knew he was going to defeat his superior brother.

After a few more moments of tension between them, Liquid suddenly pulled a pose. "Have at you, Snake!" he cried.

Snake got into a fighting stance. He couldn't back down now. Not after everything this insane maniac- who was his blood brother- had tried so hard to achieve.

It started slowly at first. Liquid circled Snake like a lion trying to capture his prey, doing his best to make sure that he could both catch Snake off-guard _and _not fall off REX at the same time. Snake took one slight step forward, his own fists raised. Liquid smirked and suddenly bolted forward, his fist careening with Snake's cheek. A sharp sting surged through his body, and he stepped back slightly. He could feel his weight shift onto his back right foot.

The blonde grinned. Snake shook his head once and unleashed a combination of two quick jabs to the face and a kick to the abdomen. Liquid fell on his back, allowing Snake a moment to figure out his next move. It was clear they were equals in the sense of martial arts… or so it appeared.

Liquid heaved himself back up with a flip-like jump and got back into a stance. No- he wouldn't lose. He refused to lose this time. He charged forward, yelling a crazed battle cry and knocked himself into his brother with his shoulder. Both people fell onto the metal head, and Snake grimaced as Liquid sat on top of him, cuffing him left and right repeatedly. The raven-haired soldier took the beating- not without pain, however. It felt like a sledgehammer repeatedly smashing into his face. Only when Liquid paused for a split second did he finally kneed him in the crotch and proceed to be free of the brutal assault.

Snake wiped his lips slightly. Taking a deep breath, he punched Liquid twice once more and swung his foot around, connecting with his thigh. He watched the blonde grimace and kneel for a moment before uttering a taunting reply of "Is that the best you can do?!"

_'You haven't seen anything yet,'_ Snake thought.

A burst of adrenaline rushed through his veins, giving Snake the feeling of being in a battlefield yet again. He rushed for Liquid and proceeded to do his signature punch-punch-kick routine again. Liquid slipped slightly, falling backwards and grabbing the head of REX.

His sweaty fingers managed to keep a grasp on the ledge. Groaning slightly, he brought his other hand on top of the metal and climbed back up onto the platform. He let out a small laugh and suddenly moved forward, lashing out and striking Snake across the chin.

Pain ripped through his body, his head flashing warning signs that he could possibly be knocked out soon. Snake refused to believe this would happen. He wiped his mouth once more and threw a vicious left hook and a punishing roundhouse kick into Liquid's stomach. The younger man doubled over slightly as Snake stepped back, keeping his fighting pose. He had to finish this _now._

Moving in ever so slightly, Snake threw another punch at Liquid and hit the tattoo, but Liquid retaliated. He socked Snake with a right straight-punch to the face. Snake's head lurched backwards, and he could have sworn he nearly broke his neck. He brought his fist into Liquid's arm again. The blonde stumbled back… but not without driving his foot into Snake's stomach.

The pain was nearly unbearable, and Snake was beginning to feel slightly exhausted. Wait… 'slightly' was an understatement. _Very_ exhausted sounded much more reasonable.

Liquid tried to punch Snake's face again, but with a simple left arm block, Snake turned the maneuver into a counterattack and pummeled his own right fist into his brother's face. Using the _same_ arm, Snake elbowed Liquid in the neck, hearing a choking sound and feeling a bit of satisfaction come through his mind. At least he knew Liquid was now suffering.

Both men fell back for a moment… and tried to surprise each other with kicks to the head. Amazingly enough, their feet collided with each other. Down went the legs, and the two enemies leapt up, trying to get a gain on the other by kicking them in the side of the stomach.

Nothing doing.

Liquid and Snake stumbled for a moment. They both glared at each other, keeping their stances and leapt at the same time again. Their legs stretched out, both men kicked each other in the chest and were sent flying back.

The metallic ground shook with the landing of nearly 400 pounds of flesh. Feet shifted, and the two brothers stared at each other with unfiltered hatred. Panting could be heard in the building as well as the slight wind gusts that picked up outside of REX's lair. Time seemed to stand still for several seconds as the blood brothers studied each other.

Snake wanted to save Meryl. He was _going_ to save her.

And no one, not even his fighting equal of a brother, was going to stop him.

So when Liquid rushed forward to begin another cruel beating, Snake ran forth to meet him. The duo threw their fists for each other. But while Liquid missed… Snake connected. There was a noise that sounded like a sort of crack.

Liquid didn't dare make a sound. That would be a sign of weakness- a sign that he could be inflicted with pain. And he _was_ in pain- Snake had broken his jaw with merely the _impact_ of his fist to flesh. And he hadn't even…

…followed through.

With a slight grunt and a push, Snake finished the punch and watched Liquid's head get thrown back. The satisfaction came forth again. Snake allowed himself the shadow of a smile.

Now to finish the fight for good.

Snake faked a punch to the stomach and instead brought his right fist straight up, scoring a perfect and direct hit with Liquid. It seemed like a slow-motion moment as the terrorist went flying up towards the skies and began to arch backwards, as if doing a flip. And just when he seemed to be at a perfect 180 degrees, he didn't complete the rotation. Instead, his body began to fall like a lead weight towards the floor.

His hands began to flail slightly, like a child drowning, his eyes widening with surprise. He had lost. He had lost to his brother. He couldn't help but feel a plea for help rising in his chest. As he waved his hands and tried to reach for the hulking weapon of nuclear destruction, he could only scream one thing at the top of his lungs.

_"SNAAAAAAAAAAAKE!"_

Snake put his fist down finally, panting and putting his hands on his knees. It was over. The so-called 'final battle' was done. And he had…

He had won.

Snake straightened back up slowly and looked in the direction of Meryl, who still looked to be unconscious. It had been an odd twist in fate that he had won this fight. It seemed like at first he was going to lose, but with that turn in fate and wrong move by his brother, he had managed to secure a victory against evil.

He rushed over to Meryl, undoing her own bonds and cradling her head in his arms. "Meryl?" He shook her slightly. "Meryl?"

No answer. Snake stroked her cheek, feeling a slight sense of hopelessness arise within him. Was she really… dead?

There was a soft moan from her. Snake's heart leapt.

Fate had once again twisted for him in a favorable direction.

And for the first time all day long, Snake gave a genuine and soft smile. He really had won- for the moment that counted, he had won.

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**This is also for a contest on deviantART in which myself and AeroMaster were to write an epic final battle sequence in fan fiction form. This is my entry. Hope you enjoyed this one-shot, and thanks for reading!**


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